Cycling in Germany is certainly not the first thing that comes to mind for the younger generation of cyclists and gravel bikers. Many times there is an association with e-bikes, trips along the Rhine, 'genussradfahren' and more. Yet a Cycling Holiday in Germany is increasingly popular these days. Not only because of the beautiful gravel routes and cool cycling routes you can find there. Also the decent German cuisine, the 'Bett & Bike' options and the proximity to the Netherlands, make Germany a top destination for a cycling holiday. In Europe, it is the number one destination outside the home country for Dutch and Belgians.
But why choose a cycling holiday in Germany?
As mentioned, there are lots of great gravel routes and cycling trails in Germany. In addition, many of us underestimate the diversity of Germany as a cycling holiday destination. After all, you can go over the rolling hills at Tecklenburg drive, you can go to the Black Forest or to Bayern for wonderful challenges by bike. You will also find routes in the Eifel, along the Moselle or behind the old 'Iron Curtain' that will make a cycling holiday in Germany a success. Did we already mention the Harz? The good infrastructure with routes, but especially the asphalt also helps a lot. For gravel lovers, there are endless forest routes and beautiful crunchy paths, where you will want to stay for a long time. Combined with its rich history and culture, Germany is cycling holiday country number one.
Which bike do I take on holiday to Germany?
You can proceed in several ways. One option is to plan a bikepacking trip to our neighbouring country. This can be done via the Shimano Gravel Experience, which takes you from Valkenburg to Hellenthal in two days. Please check our bikepacking article for handy tips and tricks. Then you'll also know what to bring.
Are you going to Germany on your road bike? Then check our basic packing list. Then you will always be well ahead. On a road bike, there is plenty to do and see. Routes abound, where it is nice to have one place to start from. In that respect, Germany with its Bett & Bike accommodations a good offer for a successful cycling holiday. About transport we can be brief: Germany is basically best reached by bike or by car, where train is also an option. Although in most ICE trains your bike is not easy to carry.
Tips for cycle routes for a cycling holiday in Germany
We already wrote an extensive article with 10 cycling routes you should definitely have ridden in Germany. We also have a lot more inspiring content about our eastern neighbours. Only additions to the current content are the Bodensee-Königssee and Munsterland. The latter mainly because of its castles! That is always magical.
- Discover the Beauty of Cycling in Germany: 10 Breathtaking Cycling Routes
- Tips for cycling in Germany: Rik op Reis part III
- Hidden German gem: Saxon Switzerland
- Insanely beautiful cycle route in Freiburg
Tips for a safe cycling holiday in Germany
Obviously, Germany is a beautiful destination, but you have to pay attention when you go on holiday. Because although the infrastructure is in good shape, the car still rules in many places. So always consider the following things:
- Lighting: especially if you are out and about at the edges of the day (at dusk), good lighting vital.
- Always remember your helmet. Now a helmet is NOT compulsory in Germany, but it is common sense to wear one when going on a cycling holiday on a road bike and especially on a gravel bike. An accident is in a small corner and does not even have to be your fault.
- Weather apps: the weather can change at any time, so make use of a local weather app or one that shows the correct weather in both the Netherlands and Germany.
- Food & hydration: check your route before cycling and always remember to bring enough water and food. Especially if you go into the forests and if you cycle in the former east, you can be 'alone' for a long time.
Culture, culinary and more
That a cycling holiday in Germany equals a wonderful encounter with German cultural history is obvious. The Cologne cathedral, the church in Dresden, or in Berlin, a route through Bayreuth or past fashionable Munich. Following the Iron Curtain Trail is also an experience in itself. Although sometimes a bit 'dark', this is an important part of the country's history.
In addition, German cuisine is also evolving. It is no longer just Bratwurst, Schweinshaxe and Bratkartoffeln. Meanwhile, a true culinary revolution is taking place, especially in the larger cities, and you can also eat and drink good vegetarian food in many places. Of course, a CurryWurst cannot be missed and you will find the Best Baked Potatoes in Munsterland. In Munich, a visit to Hofbrauhaus is a must. And, of course, the wines in the Moselle region.
What is also special about a cycling holiday in Germany is the typical 'Kuchen Kultur'. Go to a local Konditorie and you will find the most delicious baked goods, often at a friendly price. So a coffee round with cake stop becomes a real treat. Almost every village has one, in the big city you have too much choice. Another thing: in Germany, 'Frühstuck' on Sunday mornings is a thing. Make a reservation for a (late) breakfast yourself and you can eat your fill here too, before a busy day on the bike.
Events
Fun events on bikes can be found all over Germany. We ourselves are quite a fan of the following gravel and road cycling events:
- Grinduro. Started from GIRO Sport Design, this is a recurring event, which also has a German variant
- the Gravel Games Ruhrgebiet are there to be ticked off.
- On the border with the Czech Republic you will find the Bohemian Border Bash,
- For Racing cyclists, you can easily join the Tecklenburger Rundfahrt which also happens to be organised by a Dutch cycling club.
- Riderman 3-day: According to Herman from Cycloworld, one of the nicest cyclo's/events in Europe. Relaxed atmosphere, still a bit of competition and well German Degelijk arranged.
Staying overnight during your cycling holiday
- Bicycle-friendly accommodation is everywhere in Germany. Search on 'bike hotel' and you'll find plenty. Even if you think: is this really a bike hotel, the basic level of German destinations is really guaranteed. Via the Bett&Bike site, you can also look at labelled hotels and destinations, which raises your guarantee of a good hotel or B&B. You can also look at Welcome Holidays, which have cycling hotels on offer.
- Camping or comfort: that's up to you! Many campsites have cabins or you can easily pitch your tent. The Camping Wildbach in Hellenthal is an example of a campsite ideal for cyclists. But there is also plenty on offer around Lake Constance for that. Via this link you will find even more beautiful campsites at Lake Constance:
- In the mountains - Lake Constance campsites
- Booking and planning: tips for the best deals can be found on well-known platforms, such as Time To Momo. Also check out Roadbike Holidays, who have a number of accommodations in southern Germany.
Conclusion
- The advantages of a cycling holiday in Germany are endless. Germany is close, it has a lot of variety in routes and offerings and you can also get there reasonably cheaply. You can choose from high mountains, challenging hills or even a beautiful route along the German coast. A visit to Rügen, the island in the Baltic Sea, is also one to remember.
- Germany has already brought us a lot. Both in the summer of 2023 in Freiburg, and in earlier years in both the Eifel, the Moselle, Tecklenburg, the Harz and on a tour of Magdeburg. In short, too much to mention and too much not to explore. Combine that with the 'kuchen kultur' and the fact that after 20 years you still haven't run out of things to say about a cycling holiday in Germany, and you know enough.
SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES
- Share your experiences about cycling in Germany or your cycling holiday in Germany with our editors via e-mail or via the comments
- More info via the site of Germany Tourism!
63 responses
I'm still kind of missing the tips for nice coffee shops. I'm planning a trip to the Black Forest, where exactly should I be?
@mark: Cafe Bicicletta in Freiburg is the place to be!
I conceive this web site holds some very fantastic information for everyone :D. "I like work it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours." by Jerome K. Jerome.
But wanna admit that this is handy, Thanks for taking your time to write this.
Thank you for sharing excellent informations. Your site is very cool. I'm impressed by the details that you have on this blog. It reveals how nicely you understand this subject. Bookmarked this web page, will come back for more articles. You, my friend, ROCK! I found just the information I already searched everywhere and just couldn't come across. What a perfect web site.
Its like you read my thoughts! You appear to understand so much about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you just can do with a few to pressure the message home a bit, however instead of that, that is wonderful blog. A great read. I will certainly be back.
I would like to thnkx for the efforts you have put in writing this blog. I am hoping the same high-grade blog post from you in the upcoming as well. In fact your creative writing abilities has inspired me to get my own blog now. Really the blogging is spreading its wings quickly. Your write up is a good example of it.
Great wordpress blog here. It's hard to find quality writing like yours these days. I really appreciate people like you! take care
Simply wanna input on few general things, The website style and design is perfect, the subject material is rattling good. "We can only learn to love by loving." by Iris Murdoch.
Thanks , I've just been looking for information about this subject for ages and yours is the greatest I have discovered till now. But, what about the bottom line? Are you sure about the source?
Hey there! Do you use Twitter? I'd like to follow you if that would be ok. I'm undoubtedly enjoying your blog and look forward to new updates.
I love it when people come together and share opinions, great blog, keep it up.
An impressive share, I simply gave this onto a colleague who was doing a little evaluation on this. And he in truth bought me breakfast as a result of I found it for him.. smile. So let me reword that: Thnx for the deal with! But yeah Thnkx for spending the time to debate this, I really feel strongly about it and love studying extra on this topic. If potential, as you turn into expertise, would you thoughts updating your weblog with extra details? It is extremely helpful for me. Large thumb up for this blog publish!
Really enjoyed this update, can you make it so I receive an alert email every time you write a fresh article?
magnificent post, very informative. I wonder why the other experts of this sector do not understand this. You should proceed your writing. I am sure, you've a great readers' base already!
Very well written information. It will be beneficial to anybody who utilises it, as well as myself. Keep doing what you are doing - for sure i will check out more posts.
I view something genuinely interesting about your weblog so I saved to fav.
I was looking at some of your blog posts on this internet site and I conceive this site is rattling informative! Continue posting.
Hello, Neat post. There is an issue together with your website in internet explorer, could check thisK IE nonetheless is the marketplace leader and a huge section of folks will omit your wonderful writing due to this problem.
Hey there just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The words in your post seem to be running off the screen in Safari. I'm not sure if this is a format issue or something to do with internet browser compatibility but I figured I'd post to let you know. The design look great though! Hope you get the problem resolved soon. Cheers
Very interesting topic, thanks for putting up.
I would like to thnkx for the efforts you have put in writing this web site. I am hoping the same high-grade blog post from you in the upcoming as well. Actually your creative writing abilities has encouraged me to get my own site now. Actually the blogging is spreading its wings fast. Your write up is a great example of it.
I believe you have mentioned some very interesting details , regards for the post.
This is the right blog for anyone who wants to find out about this topic. You realize so much its almost hard to argue with you (not that I actually would want...HaHa). You definitely put a new spin on a topic thats been written about for years. Great stuff, just great!
It's actually a cool and helpful piece of info. I'm happy that you shared this useful information with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.
I have recently started a website, the info you provide on this site has helped me greatly. Thanks for all of your time & work.
That is very attention-grabbing, You're an excessively skilled blogger. I have joined your rss feed and look forward to seeking more of your excellent post. Also, I have shared your site in my social networks!
I'm not sure exactly why but this website is loading very slow for me. Is anyone else having this problem or is it a problem on my end? I'll check back later on and see if the problem still exists.
Hiya, I'm really glad I have found this information. Nowadays bloggers publish only about gossips and net and this is actually irritating. A good website with exciting content, this is what I need. Thanks for keeping this web-site, I will be visiting it. Do you do newsletters? Can't find it.
You completed some nice points there. I did a search on the topic and found most folks will go along with your blog.
Really excellent information can be found on site.
Perfectly written content, Really enjoyed looking at.
Hi, just required you to know I he added your site to my Google bookmarks due to your layout. But seriously, I believe your internet site has 1 in the freshest theme I??ve came across. It extremely helps make reading your blog significantly easier.
I am not very wonderful with English but I come up this really easygoing to translate.
Hey there! I could have sworn I've been to this website before but after browsing through some of the post I realised it's new to me. Nonetheless, I'm definitely glad I found it and I'll be bookmarking and checking back frequently!
The Pink Salt Trick is a minimalist but effective morning routine: Just drink a glass of lukewarm water mixed with a pinch of Himalayan pink salt as soon as you wake up.
I have recently started a website, the info you provide on this site has helped me tremendously. Thank you for all of your time & work. "The man who fights for his fellow-man is a better man than the one who fights for himself." by Clarence Darrow.
The Pink Salt Trick is a minimalist but effective morning routine: Just drink a glass of lukewarm water mixed with a pinch of Himalayan pink salt as soon as you wake up.
I was reading some of your articles on this website and I think this website is very informative! Keep posting.
The Natural Mounjaro Recipe is more than just a diet-it's a sustainable and natural approach to weight management and overall health.
I really like your writing style, great information, thanks for putting up :D. "God save me from my friends. I can protect myself from my enemies." by Claude Louis Hector de Villars.
It is really a great and useful piece of info. I'm satisfied that you just shared this helpful information with us. Please stay us informed like this. Thank you for sharing.
The very core of your writing while appearing agreeable originally, did not really sit perfectly with me personally after some time. Somewhere throughout the paragraphs you were able to make me a believer but just for a very short while. I however have a problem with your jumps in logic and one would do nicely to fill in those breaks. In the event that you can accomplish that, I would definitely be impressed.
As I website possessor I conceive the content material here is real excellent, thankyou for your efforts.
Hey There. I found your blog using msn. This is a really well written article. I will make sure to bookmark it and return to read more of your useful information. Thanks for the post. I'll definitely comeback.
Some truly prize articles on this web site, saved to my bookmarks.
I'm really enjoying the theme/design of your web site. Do you ever run into any browser compatibility problems? A small number of my blog audience have complained about my website not operating correctly in Explorer but looks great in Opera. Do you have any ideas to help fix this problem?
Only a smiling visitor here to share the love (:, btw outstanding layout. "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler." by Albert Einstein.
Hello there! Do you know if they make any plugins to assist with Search Engine Optimization? I'm trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I'm not seeing very good gains. If you know of any please share. Kudos!
Absolutely written articles, Really enjoyed examining.
I am not sure where you are getting your info, but great topic. I needs to spend some time learning more or understanding more. Thanks for wonderful information I was looking for this information for my mission.
Magnificent website. Lots of useful info here. I'm sending it to several friends ans also sharing in delicious. And certainly, thanks to your sweat!
This is very interesting, You are a very skilled blogger. I have joined your rss feed and look forward to seeking more of your wonderful post. Also, I have shared your site in my social networks!
I will right away grab your rss feed as I can not to find your email subscription hyperlink or newsletter service. Do you've any? Please allow me understand so that I may subscribe. Thanks.
Good website! I really love how it is simple on my eyes and the data are well written. I'm wondering how I could be notified whenever a new post has been made. I've subscribed to your RSS feed which must do the trick! Have a nice day!
Your place is valueble for me. Thanks ....
magnificent post, very informative. I wonder why the other experts of this sector do not notice this. You should continue your writing. I'm sure, you've a great readers' base already!
It is in reality a nice and helpful piece of information. I am glad that you just shared this helpful information with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.
Hello there, just became alert to your blog through Google, and found that it's truly informative. I'm going to watch out for brussels. I will be grateful if you continue this in future. A lot of people will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!
Perfectly indited subject material, Really enjoyed reading.
Hello, i read your blog from time to time and i own a similar one and i was just wondering if you get a lot of spam feedback? If so how do you protect against it, any plugin or anything you can advise? I get so much lately it's driving me insane so any support is very much appreciated.
Hi there, You have done a great job. I will definitely digg it and personally recommend to my friends. I'm confident they'll be benefited from this web site.
Merely wanna input on few general things, The website design and style is perfect, the content material is really fantastic. “By following the concept of ‘one country, two systems,’ you don’t swallow me up nor I you.” by Deng Xiaoping.